Google laid out the next steps in its plans to provide power for its AI data centers. On Wednesday the company announced a deal with the “virtual power plant” startup Voltus, in which Google will finance a program for parts of the Mid-Atlantic US grid that will pay other households and businesses to curb their consumption at certain times.
It’s a first-of-its-kind deal, the companies said, that will free up 100 megawatts for Google’s use without having to build any new infrastructure. The tech firm also unveiled a new set of standards for its water consumption, which includes a commitment that by 2030, it will return more water to local ecosystems than its data centers consume. And to pay for all of this, the company said it will sell $85 billion in shares — an unusual move for a cash-rich tech giant that illustrates the massive scale of capital required for the data center power push.